Coventry planning commission approves Village at Tioga preliminary plan despite widespread resident concerns

The Coventry Planning Commission voted unanimously Jan. 28 to approve a comprehensive‑permit preliminary plan for the Village at Tioga, a proposed 162‑unit housing development that will include 41 units designated for households at 80–120% of area median income.

The project’s attorney, Joel Rocha, told the board the plan was certified complete in November 2025 and now reflects technical changes including sidewalk additions, revised connections between Areas 2 and 3 and a state‑approved stormwater design. "We reduced the unit count to the minimum allowed by state law of 162," Rocha said, noting the applicant has obtained a DEM stormwater permit and responded to peer‑review comments.

The approval came with conditions negotiated during the meeting. The board limited the number of four‑bedroom homes in Area 3 to a maximum of 15, required the applicant to provide generators for two sewer pump stations, and incorporated staff‑recommended inspection and monitoring procedures. The commission also set a performance bond, following the town engineer’s recommendation, at $3,418,806.87 to ensure public‑infrastructure completion.

Why it mattered

Residents and neighborhood groups filled the hearing to challenge the project on traffic, environmental and flooding grounds. Speakers produced video of children walking near Tioga Elementary during dismissal, citing absent sidewalks and immediate safety risks. "Twice a day parents and children are walking in the middle of the street because there are no sidewalks," Kristen Barron said while introducing a video of the intersection.

Multiple residents described past flooding in adjacent properties and the Coventry Housing Authority site, urged stricter third‑party monitoring and demanded more detail on how detention ponds and underground infiltration systems would prevent overflows into Lake Tioga and neighboring yards. "Replacing a 27‑acre woodland with 162 units removes a critical layer of protection for the lake," Ray Horbert told the commission.

Technical review and staff position

Town‑hired and applicant‑hired traffic engineers agreed that the revised plan produces only modest peak‑period changes at key intersections. Paul Bannon of Crossman Engineering reported an estimated reduction of roughly seven vehicle trips in each AM and PM peak period after unit adjustments, and town peer reviewer John Chevlin (Parr Corporation) concluded intersections analyzed would operate at acceptable levels of service, with worst‑case increases of about three to five seconds of delay.

On stormwater, applicant engineers explained the design rests on a ‘‘treatment train’’ of catch basins, settlement features and underground infiltration chambers for roof runoff, and emphasized that the DEM issued a permit after review. The applicant also agreed to work with the Coventry Housing Authority on final landscape buffering and to supply certificates of conformance and other inspection documentation required by the town’s new procedures.

What the commission decided next

After the public comment period closed and board members deliberated, the planning commission approved the application with the amended conditions. The final vote was unanimous. The board then voted to set the bond at $3,418,806.87 and affirmed inspection fees as outlined in the staff report.

What happens next

The approval is a preliminary plan and contains multiple conditions to be addressed before final plan sign‑off; the applicant must produce required permits, final landscape and maintenance plans and monitoring/certification documents at later stages. Several residents and at least one elected state representative urged the commission and local legislators to revisit state law cited by applicants (R.I. Gen. Laws 45‑53‑4) that, speakers said, increases allowable density through statutory density bonuses. The decision can also be appealed to the courts, a path several commenters suggested if the board and developer cannot reconcile all outstanding neighborhood concerns.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of Village at Tioga comprehensive‑permit preliminary plan: unanimous (roll call recorded as all members present voting yes). Condition highlights: cap of 15 four‑bedroom units in Area 3; generators for two sewer pump stations; final landscape plan to be coordinated with Coventry Housing Authority; off‑site Tiffany Road improvements required by the 44th building permit phase; monitoring and certificates of conformance per town procedures.

- Performance bond set at: $3,418,806.87 (town‑engineer recommendation), inspection fee per staff report.

The commission adjourned after completing agenda business; final plan submissions and administrative checks remain before construction can begin.